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Farirai Machivenyika, Harare Bureau
PRESIDENT Mugabe has said the military has no right to interfere in politics and its members should air their views according to the dictates of the country’s Constitution.

He said this while addressing the Zanu-PF Women’s League National Assembly meeting at the ruling party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday.

The President, who is also the First Secretary of the ruling party, urged the military to respect the principle that politics leads the gun and also took a swipe at people that were calling on him to step down despite the mandate he was given by the people.

“The people are the ones who have chosen me. So what are these manoeuvres for and organisations some of them even of young people. Some of the people we were with during the liberation war now spend their time criticising me in newspapers. It is not the Mutsvangwas per se. We welcomed Mutsvangwa at Chimoio when he left the university with four other guys and now they are saying the President must go, but they are not alone, they are being sent.

“The military has no right you know, to be interfering with the political processes. Theirs is to support. They can give their own views within the constitution and according to the principle that politics shall always lead the gun and not the gun politics. That will be a coup. The gun should not lead politics but politics the gun that is the principle,” he said.

President Mugabe also castigated some leaders who were calling on him to step down and advised them that the mandate to lead was derived from the people.

He said he never imposed himself in leadership positions since the time of the liberation struggle but was chosen by the people.

“Now listen to what some of the leaders are saying. They are saying the President must go. Who do they want to take over? Who do they want to take over. We were never told that you are going to take over. The one to take over will have been voted in by the people, not the one who will have imposed himself.

“Candidates yes, when the time comes they can contest. Not to say I am next, no! It does not matter who you are. It is not within the principles of the party. It is disgraceful for one to say I am the one now, the President must go. You are the one by what virtue and principle. They are just beating their chest saying I am the one now. No we don’t want that,” he said.

President Mugabe urged party cadres to accept leaders chosen by the people and urged them to follow party procedures if they had any grievance against them.

He warned power hungry individuals against fomenting chaos in provinces by conducting unsanctioned meetings to remove elected leaders.

President Mugabe took a swipe at some elements in Zanu-PF’s Harare province for attempting to remove Cde Charles Tawengwa as chairman.

“But also when the people want certain so and so to take a position here and there, let us accept the choice that has been made by the people from provinces that so and so is the chairman and this one is the secretary, let us accept that. But if you come and tell us after a secret meeting that let us have a vote of confidence, we will say no.

“I know a vote of no confidence was passed on the chairman and there was an echo everywhere of the vote of no confidence, vote of no confidence. No, it’s shameful. Let the province truly say aah because of ABC  we don’t want the chairman, then we sit down as the politburo and decide on what to do,” President Mugabe said.

He said provincial structures had no authority to pass votes of no confidence on Politburo members as they were his appointees.

The President urged party structures to bring forward any misgivings they might have against Politburo members to the leadership of the party.

“The province cannot pass a vote of no confidence on Politburo members. They are appointees, what they can do is bring their case to the disciplinary committee which will decide what to do.

“No need for the disciplinary committee to sit down and deliberate on the vote of no confidence on (Cde Christopher) Mushohwe or on any member of Politburo no you cannot do that, it’s wrong procedure.

“We are not saying you should accept the bad things done by the leadership, no, bring your grievances to us and we will deal with them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President castigated some officials who are undermining provincial ministers that he appointed to represent him.

“This back door business must stop. That is what is destroying us, the failure to recognise rules of our organisation is what is destroying us. Let us be disciplined. I appointed resident ministers here Mai (Miriam) Chikukwa, in Mutare there is Mai (Mandi) Chimene, in Midlands there is (Jason) Machaya Cde (Martin) Dinha in Mash Central. I am just mentioning these four. They are getting problems from people who say they don’t want them. Who are to say you don’t want them, claiming they should have been put in that position instead. Who are you, let them do their job,” he said.

President Mugabe urged people to be patient as they might also be considered for leadership posts in future and warned those that try to belittle other people’s contributions during the liberation struggle.

He cited the insults that had been directed at Cde Chimene and warned that there was no one without his or her past misdemeanours.

President Mugabe also took a dig at people in the Midlands Province that were fighting Cde Machaya as part of their factional agenda to attain power.

“Cde Machaya is also facing problems in the Midlands but he says it’s now a bit quiet although he says people at the top are the ones giving him problems because they want to give posts to people they like,”he said.